Enhanced mechanism for accessing non-public network

ABSTRACT

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a ME/UE. The ME/UE determines whether there is a closed access group (CAG) information list stored in a USIM utilized by the ME. The CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell. When the CAG information list is detected: the ME/UE maintains the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access; the ME/UE searches for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 63/036,154, entitled “ENHANCED MECHANISM FOR ACCESSING NON-PUBLIC NETWORK” and filed on Jun. 8, 2020, which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems, and more particularly, to techniques of accessing non-public networks by a user equipment (UE).

Background

The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA) systems.

These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate on a municipal, national, regional, and even global level. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. Some aspects of 5G NR may be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There exists a need for further improvements in 5G NR technology. These improvements may also be applicable to other multi-access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In an aspect of the disclosure, a method, a computer-readable medium, and an apparatus are provided. The apparatus may be a ME/UE. The ME/UE determines whether there is a closed access group (CAG) information list stored in a USIM utilized by the ME. The CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell. When the CAG information list is detected: the ME/UE maintains the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access; the ME/UE searches for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the one or more aspects comprise the features hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of the one or more aspects. These features are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a base station in communication with a UE in an access network.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example logical architecture of a distributed access network.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example physical architecture of a distributed access network.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a DL-centric subframe.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an UL-centric subframe.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating communications between a base station and one or more UEs/MEs.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a method (process) for accessing a CAG cell.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual data flow diagram illustrating the data flow between different components/means in an exemplary apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus employing a processing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

Several aspects of telecommunications systems will now be presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a “processing system” that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Accordingly, in one or more example aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network 100. The wireless communications system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes base stations 102, UEs 104, an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G Core (5GC)). The base stations 102 may include macrocells (high power cellular base station) and/or small cells (low power cellular base station). The macrocells include base stations. The small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells.

The base stations 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 through backhaul links 132 (e.g., SI interface). The base stations 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with core network 190 through backhaul links 184. In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may perform one or more of the following functions: transfer of user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC 160 or core network 190) with each other over backhaul links 134 (e.g., X2 interface). The backhaul links 134 may be wired or wireless.

The base stations 102 may wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas 110. For example, the small cell 102′ may have a coverage area 110′ that overlaps the coverage area 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocells may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home Evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (HeNBs), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and/or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity. The communication links may be through one or more carriers. The base stations 102/UEs 104 may use spectrum up to 7 MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) used for transmission in each direction. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL). The component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. A primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use the DL/UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communications systems, such as for example, FlashLinQ, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

The wireless communications system may further include a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 in communication with Wi-Fi stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in a 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum. When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the STAs 152/AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.

The small cell 102′ may operate in a licensed and/or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell 102′ may employ NR and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102′, employing NR in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, may boost coverage to and/or increase capacity of the access network.

A base station 102, whether a small cell 102′ or a large cell (e.g., macro base station), may include an eNB, gNodeB (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations, such as gNB 180 may operate in a traditional sub 6 GHz spectrum, in millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and/or near mmW frequencies in communication with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates in mmW or near mmW frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as an mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in the band may be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW may extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW/near mmW radio frequency band (e.g., 3 GHz-300 GHz) has extremely high path loss and a short range. The mmW base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range.

The base station 180 may transmit a beamformed signal to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 108 a. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 180 in one or more receive directions 108 b. The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal to the base station 180 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 180 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 180/UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the base station 180/UE 104. The transmit and receive directions for the base station 180 may or may not be the same. The transmit and receive directions for the UE 104 may or may not be the same.

The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may be in communication with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is the control node that processes the signaling between the UEs 104 and the EPC 160. Generally, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All user Internet protocol (IP) packets are transferred through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176. The IP Services 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a PS Streaming Service, and/or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmission, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS Bearer Services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS traffic to the base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a particular service, and may be responsible for session management (start/stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

The core network 190 may include a Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may be in communication with a Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is the control node that processes the signaling between the UEs 104 and the core network 190. Generally, the SMF 194 provides QoS flow and session management. All user Internet protocol (IP) packets are transferred through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation as well as other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to the IP Services 197. The IP Services 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a PS Streaming Service, and/or other IP services.

The base station may also be referred to as a gNB, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a transmit reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology. The base station 102 provides an access point to the EPC 160 or core network 190 for a UE 104. Examples of UEs 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor/actuator, a display, or any other similar functioning device. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meter, gas pump, toaster, vehicles, heart monitor, etc.). The UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

Although the present disclosure may reference 5G New Radio (NR), the present disclosure may be applicable to other similar areas, such as LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), or other wireless/radio access technologies.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a base station 210 in communication with a UE 250 in an access network. In the DL, IP packets from the core network 160 may be provided to a controller/processor 275. The controller/processor 275 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller/processor 275 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

The transmit (TX) processor 216 and the receive (RX) processor 270 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding/decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation/demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 216 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 274 may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and/or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 250. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 220 via a separate transmitter 218TX. Each transmitter 218TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

At the UE 250, each receiver 254RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 252. Each receiver 254RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 256. The TX processor 268 and the RX processor 256 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 256 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 250. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 250, they may be combined by the RX processor 256 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 256 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 210. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator 258. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station 210 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller/processor 259, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

The controller/processor 259 can be associated with a memory 260 that stores program codes and data. The memory 260 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller/processor 259 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network 160. The controller/processor 259 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the base station 210, the controller/processor 259 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator 258 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 210 may be used by the TX processor 268 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 268 may be provided to different antenna 252 via separate transmitters 254TX. Each transmitter 254TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission. The UL transmission is processed at the base station 210 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 250. Each receiver 218RX receives a signal through its respective antenna 220. Each receiver 218RX recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 270.

The controller/processor 275 can be associated with a memory 276 that stores program codes and data. The memory 276 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller/processor 275 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 250. IP packets from the controller/processor 275 may be provided to the core network 160. The controller/processor 275 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

New radio (NR) may refer to radios configured to operate according to a new air interface (e.g., other than Orthogonal Frequency Divisional Multiple Access (OFDMA)-based air interfaces) or fixed transport layer (e.g., other than Internet Protocol (IP)). NR may utilize OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) on the uplink and downlink and may include support for half-duplex operation using time division duplexing (TDD). NR may include Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service targeting wide bandwidth (e.g. 80 MHz beyond), millimeter wave (mmW) targeting high carrier frequency (e.g. 60 GHz), massive MTC (mMTC) targeting non-backward compatible MTC techniques, and/or mission critical targeting ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC) service.

A single component carrier bandwidth of 100 MHz may be supported. In one example, NR resource blocks (RBs) may span 12 sub-carriers with a sub-carrier bandwidth of 60 kHz over a 0.125 ms duration or a bandwidth of 15 kHz over a 0.5 ms duration. Each radio frame may consist of 20 or 80 subframes (or NR slots) with a length of 10 ms. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (i.e., DL or UL) for data transmission and the link direction for each subframe may be dynamically switched. Each subframe may include DL/UL data as well as DL/UL control data. UL and DL subframes for NR may be as described in more detail below with respect to FIGS. 5 and 6. [Harrison: MHZ→MHz]

The NR RAN may include a central unit (CU) and distributed units (DUs). A NR BS (e.g., gNB, 5G Node B, Node B, transmission reception point (TRP), access point (AP)) may correspond to one or multiple BSs. NR cells can be configured as access cells (ACells) or data only cells (DCells). For example, the RAN (e.g., a central unit or distributed unit) can configure the cells. DCells may be cells used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity and may not be used for initial access, cell selection/reselection, or handover. In some cases DCells may not transmit synchronization signals (SS) in some cases DCells may transmit SS. NR BSs may transmit downlink signals to UEs indicating the cell type. Based on the cell type indication, the UE may communicate with the NR BS. For example, the UE may determine NR BSs to consider for cell selection, access, handover, and/or measurement based on the indicated cell type.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example logical architecture of a distributed RAN 300, according to aspects of the present disclosure. A 5G access node 306 may include an access node controller (ANC) 302. The ANC may be a central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN. The backhaul interface to the next generation core network (NG-CN) 304 may terminate at the ANC. The backhaul interface to neighboring next generation access nodes (NG-ANs) 310 may terminate at the ANC. The ANC may include one or more TRPs 308 (which may also be referred to as BSs, NR BSs, Node Bs, 5G NBs, APs, or some other term). As described above, a TRP may be used interchangeably with “cell.”

The TRPs 308 may be a distributed unit (DU). The TRPs may be connected to one ANC (ANC 302) or more than one ANC (not illustrated). For example, for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service specific ANC deployments, the TRP may be connected to more than one ANC. A TRP may include one or more antenna ports. The TRPs may be configured to individually (e.g., dynamic selection) or jointly (e.g., joint transmission) serve traffic to a UE.

The local architecture of the distributed RAN 300 may be used to illustrate fronthaul definition. The architecture may be defined that support fronthauling solutions across different deployment types. For example, the architecture may be based on transmit network capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, latency, and/or jitter). The architecture may share features and/or components with LTE. According to aspects, the next generation AN (NG-AN) 310 may support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR.

The architecture may enable cooperation between and among TRPs 308. For example, cooperation may be preset within a TRP and/or across TRPs via the ANC 302. According to aspects, no inter-TRP interface may be needed/present.

According to aspects, a dynamic configuration of split logical functions may be present within the architecture of the distributed RAN 300. The PDCP, RLC, MAC protocol may be adaptably placed at the ANC or TRP.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example physical architecture of a distributed RAN 400, according to aspects of the present disclosure. A centralized core network unit (C-CU) 402 may host core network functions. The C-CU may be centrally deployed. C-CU functionality may be offloaded (e.g., to advanced wireless services (AWS)), in an effort to handle peak capacity. A centralized RAN unit (C-RU) 404 may host one or more ANC functions. Optionally, the C-RU may host core network functions locally. The C-RU may have distributed deployment. The C-RU may be closer to the network edge. A distributed unit (DU) 406 may host one or more TRPs. The DU may be located at edges of the network with radio frequency (RF) functionality.

FIG. 5 is a diagram 500 showing an example of a DL-centric subframe. The DL-centric subframe may include a control portion 502. The control portion 502 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centric subframe. The control portion 502 may include various scheduling information and/or control information corresponding to various portions of the DL-centric subframe. In some configurations, the control portion 502 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH), as indicated in FIG. 5. The DL-centric subframe may also include a DL data portion 504. The DL data portion 504 may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL-centric subframe. The DL data portion 504 may include the communication resources utilized to communicate DL data from the scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS) to the subordinate entity (e.g., UE). In some configurations, the DL data portion 504 may be a physical DL shared channel (PDSCH).

The DL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 506. The common UL portion 506 may sometimes be referred to as an UL burst, a common UL burst, and/or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centric subframe. For example, the common UL portion 506 may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 502. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include an ACK signal, a NACK signal, a HARQ indicator, and/or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 506 may include additional or alternative information, such as information pertaining to random access channel (RACH) procedures, scheduling requests (SRs), and various other suitable types of information.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the end of the DL data portion 504 may be separated in time from the beginning of the common UL portion 506. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, a guard period, a guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. This separation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the subordinate entity (e.g., UE)) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the subordinate entity (e.g., UE)). One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric subframe and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 showing an example of an UL-centric subframe. The UL-centric subframe may include a control portion 602. The control portion 602 may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the UL-centric subframe. The control portion 602 in FIG. 6 may be similar to the control portion 502 described above with reference to FIG. 5. The UL-centric subframe may also include an UL data portion 604. The UL data portion 604 may sometimes be referred to as the pay load of the UL-centric subframe. The UL portion may refer to the communication resources utilized to communicate UL data from the subordinate entity (e.g., UE) to the scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS). In some configurations, the control portion 602 may be a physical DL control channel (PDCCH).

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the end of the control portion 602 may be separated in time from the beginning of the UL data portion 604. This time separation may sometimes be referred to as a gap, guard period, guard interval, and/or various other suitable terms. This separation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the scheduling entity) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the scheduling entity). The UL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion 606. The common UL portion 606 in FIG. 6 may be similar to the common UL portion 506 described above with reference to FIG. 5. The common UL portion 606 may additionally or alternatively include information pertaining to channel quality indicator (CQI), sounding reference signals (SRSs), and various other suitable types of information. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of an UL-centric subframe and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

In some circumstances, two or more subordinate entities (e.g., UEs) may communicate with each other using sidelink signals. Real-world applications of such sidelink communications may include public safety, proximity services, UE-to-network relaying, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, Internet of Everything (IoE) communications, IoT communications, mission-critical mesh, and/or various other suitable applications. Generally, a sidelink signal may refer to a signal communicated from one subordinate entity (e.g., UE1) to another subordinate entity (e.g., UE2) without relaying that communication through the scheduling entity (e.g., UE or BS), even though the scheduling entity may be utilized for scheduling and/or control purposes. In some examples, the sidelink signals may be communicated using a licensed spectrum (unlike wireless local area networks, which typically use an unlicensed spectrum).

In the present disclosure, one or more terms or features are defined or described in “3GPP TS 23.122 V16.5.0 (2020-03); Technical Specification; 3rd Generation Partnership Project; Technical Specification Group Core Network and Terminals; Non-Access-Stratum (NAS) functions related to Mobile Station (MS) in idle mode (Release 16)” (3GPP TS 23.122), which is expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Those terms and features are known by a person having ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 illustrating communications between a base station and one or more UEs or mobile equipments (MEs). In this example, an operator operates a public land mobile network (PLMN) with an ID “A”, referred to as PLMN A. In particular, the PLMN A includes, among other components, a core network 752 and a base station 702.

The base station 702 may provide a private cell 756 that is a part of a Public-Network-Integrated Non-public Network (PNI-NPN). Further, the private cell 756 is only accessible by UEs or MEs that are in a Closed Access Group (CAG) with an ID “1” (i.e., CAG 1). Accordingly, the base station 702 sends System Information Broadcast (SIB) 720 on the private cell 756. The SIB 720 indicates the PLMN A and the CAG 1. A UE or ME subscribing for the PLMN A and the CAG 1 is allowed to access the private cell 756.

In this example, a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) 706 is inserted into a mobile equipment (ME) 704. The USIM 706 contains, among other configuration data, a CAG information list 708. The CAG information list 708 may contain one or more entries that each have a PLMN ID and zero or more CAG ID(s). A combination of a PLMN ID and a CAG ID can uniquely identify a PNI-NPN. In this example, the CAG information list 708 includes an entry that specifies the PLMN A and the CAG 1 as well as an indication of “CAG-only.” In other words, the UE 704′ is only allowed to access the PLMN A via a private cell that is identified by PLMN A and CAG 1. Subsequently, upon the USIM 706 is inserted into the ME 704, the ME 704 detects the USIM 706. The ME 704 reads the configuration data stored on the USIM 706 and configures itself accordingly. With the USIM 706, the ME 704 becomes the UE 704′. The UE 704′ maintains a copy of the CAG information list 708 that is obtained from the USIM 706. In one example, the UE 704′ stores the CAG information list 708 in the volatile RAM of the UE 704′. In another example, the UE 704′ stores the CAG information list 708 in the non-volatile RAM.

Further, the UE 704′ is placed in the coverage area of the private cell 756. In this example, the UE 704′ has not connected to any cell and, thus, has not received any updated CAG information list. Therefore, the CAG information list 708 is the current list. In one example, the UE 704′ preforms cell selection based on the CAG information list 708 that was provided by the USIM 706 and that is maintained on the UE 704′ (e.g., stored on the volatile RAM or the non-volatile RAM of the UE 704′). In another example, the UE 704′ initially determines whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile RAM. When there is no CAG information list stored on the non-volatile RAM, the UE 704′ reads the CAG information list 708 stored on the USIM 706 and uses the CAG information list 708 as the current CAG information list.

The UE 704′ detects the private cell 756 (e.g., based on Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs)) and receives the SIB 720 broadcast on the private cell 756 by the base station 702. The UE 704′ extracts the PLMN ID and CAG ID (i.e., PLMN A and CAG 1) from the SIB 720. The UE 704′ compares the PLMN ID and CAG ID from the SIB 720 with the current CAG information list of the UE 704′. The UE 704′ matches that the private cell 756 is a cell to which the UE 704′ is allowed to connect and finds a match. The UE 704′ then performs an initial access procedure to connect to the private cell 756. During the initial access procedure, the UE 704′ sends a Registration Request message (which includes the identity of the UE 704′ etc.) for normal services to the base station 702, which forwards the Registration Request message to a suitable Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) through the core network 752. When the AMF replies with a Registration Accept message, the UE 704′ can complete the initial access procedure and be connected to the private cell 756. As such, the UE 704′ can use the normal services (e.g., non-emergency services and emergency services) provided by the private cell 756.

Further, a UE 712 may also be placed in the coverage area of the private cell 756. The UE 712 may not have a CAG information list or may have a CAG information list that does not have an entry specifying PLMN A and CAG 1. Upon detect the private cell 756 and receives the SIB 720, the UE 712 determines that the private cell 756 is identified by PLMN A and CAG 1 and that the UE 712 is not allowed to uses the normal (e.g, non-emergency) services provided by the private cell 756. The UE 712 can perform the initial access procedure and sends a Registration Request message (which includes the identity of the UE 712 etc.) for emergency services only to the base station 702, which forwards the Registration Request message to a suitable AMF through the core network 752. The AMF can send a Registration Accept message or Registration Reject message to the UE 712. Further, based on the identity of the UE 712, the AMF can determine an updated CAG information list for the UE 712. The updated CAG information list can be included in the Registration Accept message or Registration Reject message. As such, the UE 712 can receive the updated CAG information list and maintains the CAG information list on the UE 712. More specifically, the updated CAG information list can be stored on the volatile RAM or the non-volatile RAM of the UE 712.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart 800 of a method (process) for accessing a CAG cell. The method may be performed by a ME/UE (e.g., the ME 704/the UE 704′, the apparatus 902, and the apparatus 902′).

At operation 802, the ME/UE determines whether there is a CAG information list stored in a USIM utilized by the ME/UE. The CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell.

When the CAG information list is detected in the USIM, at operation 804, the ME/UE maintains the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access. At operation 806, the ME/UE may determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in a non-volatile memory in the ME. In certain configurations, the determination can be made when the USIM is inserted into the ME. Further, when there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory, the ME/UE determines whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM when the USIM is inserted into the ME and, if the CAG information list is stored, uses the CAG information list stored in the USIM. At operation 808, the ME/UE searches for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.

When the CAG information list is not detected in the USIM, at operation 814, the ME/UE further determines that there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory. At operation 816, the ME/UE initiates an emergency registration procedure. At operation 818, the ME/UE obtains a CAG information list through a Registration Accept or Registration Reject message during the emergency registration procedure. At operation 820, the ME/UE stores the obtained CAG information list in the non-volatile memory.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual data flow diagram 900 illustrating the data flow between different components/means in an exemplary apparatus 902. The apparatus 902 may be a ME/UE. The apparatus 902 includes a reception component 904, a CAG information management component 906, a cell access component 908, and a transmission component 910.

The CAG information management component 906 determines whether there is a CAG information list stored in a USIM utilized by the CAG information management component 906. The CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell.

When the CAG information list is detected in the USIM, the CAG information management component 906 maintains the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access. The CAG information management component 906 may determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in a non-volatile memory in the ME. In certain configurations, the determination can be made when the USIM is inserted into the ME. Further, when there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory, the CAG information management component 906 determines whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM when the USIM is inserted into the ME and, if the CAG information list is stored, uses the CAG information list stored in the USIM. The cell access component 908 searches for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.

When the CAG information list is not detected in the USIM, in certain circumstances, the CAG information management component 906 may further determine that there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory. The cell access component 908 initiates an emergency registration procedure. The CAG information management component 906 obtains a CAG information list through a Registration Accept or Registration Reject message during the emergency registration procedure. The CAG information management component 906 stores the obtained CAG information list in the non-volatile memory.

FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 902′ employing a processing system 1014. The apparatus 902′ may be a ME/UE. The processing system 1014 may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by a bus 1024. The bus 1024 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 1014 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1024 links together various circuits including one or more processors and/or hardware components, represented by one or more processors 1004, the reception component 904, the CAG information management component 906, the cell access component 908, the transmission component 910, and a computer-readable medium/memory 1006. The bus 1024 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, etc.

The processing system 1014 may be coupled to a transceiver 1010, which may be one or more of the transceivers 354. The transceiver 1010 is coupled to one or more antennas 1020, which may be the communication antennas 352.

The transceiver 1010 provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The transceiver 1010 receives a signal from the one or more antennas 1020, extracts information from the received signal, and provides the extracted information to the processing system 1014, specifically the reception component 904. In addition, the transceiver 1010 receives information from the processing system 1014, specifically the transmission component 910, and based on the received information, generates a signal to be applied to the one or more antennas 1020.

The processing system 1014 includes one or more processors 1004 coupled to a computer-readable medium/memory 1006. The one or more processors 1004 are responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium/memory 1006. The software, when executed by the one or more processors 1004, causes the processing system 1014 to perform the various functions described supra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium/memory 1006 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the one or more processors 1004 when executing software. The processing system 1014 further includes at least one of the reception component 904, the CAG information management component 906, the cell access component 908, and the transmission component 910. The components may be software components running in the one or more processors 1004, resident/stored in the computer readable medium/memory 1006, one or more hardware components coupled to the one or more processors 1004, or some combination thereof. The processing system 1014 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include the memory 360 and/or at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the communication processor 359.

In one configuration, the apparatus 902/apparatus 902′ for wireless communication includes means for performing each of the operations of FIG. 8. The aforementioned means may be one or more of the aforementioned components of the apparatus 902 and/or the processing system 1014 of the apparatus 902′ configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

As described supra, the processing system 1014 may include the TX Processor 368, the RX Processor 356, and the communication processor 359. As such, in one configuration, the aforementioned means may be the TX Processor 368, the RX Processor 356, and the communication processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts may be rearranged. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, but rather “one or more.” The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. Combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as “at least one of A, B, or C,” “one or more of A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” “one or more of A, B, and C,” and “A, B, C, or any combination thereof” may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words “module,” “mechanism,” “element,” “device,” and the like may not be a substitute for the word “means.” As such, no claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for.” 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication of a mobile equipment (ME), comprising: determining whether there is a closed access group (CAG) information list stored in a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) utilized by the ME, wherein the CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell; and when the CAG information list is detected: maintaining the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access; and searching for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM comprises: determining whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining whether there is a CAG information list stored in a non-volatile memory in the ME; and wherein searching for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list comprises: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory, searching for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list stored in the USIM.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME comprises: determining whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprising: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in either the USIM or the non-volatile memory, initiating an emergency registration procedure; obtaining a CAG information list through a Registration Accept or Registration Reject message during the emergency registration procedure; and storing the obtained CAG information list in the non-volatile memory.
 6. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus being a mobile equipment (ME), comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: determine whether there is a closed access group (CAG) information list stored in a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) utilized by the ME, wherein the CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell; and when the CAG information list is detected: maintain the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access; and search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein to determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in a non-volatile memory in the ME; and wherein to search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list, the at least one processor is further configured to: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory, search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list stored in the USIM.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein to determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME, the at least one processor is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in either the USIM or the non-volatile memory, initiate an emergency registration procedure; obtain a CAG information list through a Registration Accept or Registration Reject message during the emergency registration procedure; and store the obtained CAG information list in the non-volatile memory.
 11. A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code for wireless communication of a mobile equipment (ME), comprising code to: determine whether there is a closed access group (CAG) information list stored in a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) utilized by the ME, wherein the CAG information list includes an entry that specifying a public land mobile network (PLMN) ID and a CAG ID that in combination uniquely identify a CAG cell; and when the CAG information list is detected: maintain the CAG information list for selecting the CAG cell for the ME to access; and search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list.
 12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein to determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM, the code is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the USIM when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the code is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in a non-volatile memory in the ME; and wherein to search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list, the code is further configured to: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory, search for the CAG cell according to the CAG information list stored in the USIM.
 14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein to determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME, the code is further configured to: determine whether there is a CAG information list stored in the non-volatile memory in the ME when the USIM is inserted into the ME.
 15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the code is further configured to: based on the determining that there is no CAG information list stored in either the USIM or the non-volatile memory, initiate an emergency registration procedure; obtain a CAG information list through a Registration Accept or Registration Reject message during the emergency registration procedure; and store the obtained CAG information list in the non-volatile memory. 